Forever's gonna start tonight
by aliceanjee
Summary: Finally home, Sam reminisces with a song... but something unexpected happens... Sam/Jack UST leading to RST, AU of sorts, post-Stargate: Universe


**A/N:** Another Jack/Sam OS, songfic of sorts, AU of course. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Belongs to whomever owns Stargate and all related material and Bonnie Tyler, so, not mine, obviously.

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><p><strong>Forever's gonna start tonight (Total Eclipse of the Heart)<strong>

She closed the door with her foot and tiredly made her way to the living room, dropping her keys and duffle bag on the coffee table. Doctor-Colonel Samantha Elizabeth Carter, PhD, USAF, was finally home after a six-months stint commanding the _George Hammond_. She wearily stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, before going back to the living room, absent-mindedly switching the radio on to one of her favourite music stations and vaguely hearing the first introductory notes of the song currently playing. She plopped onto the sofa, and her gaze landed onto the pictures propped up on the mantelpiece, and delved into a trove of memories. One picture in particular caught her attention, showing a man in green fatigues, a P-90 in hand, smiling at the camera with a glint in his eyes and short, buzz-cut greyish hair. This photo of the then-Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill, USAF, had been taken only a couple of years after she joined the Stargate programme, when they were still all like family.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round._

He had not been over, more and more frequently, for several team nights, when they were still based in Cheyenne Mountain. It was before they were both promoted, her to Lieutenant-Colonel and then full-bird and him to Major General and then Lieutenant General; before they left the Springs, her remaining in control of the team for a while before heading for Atlantis after her second promotion, him settling in Washington DC as Head of Homeworld Security at first and then Head of Stargate Operations after his latest promotion. Ever since Edora, he would often pretext being out of town whenever it was her turn to host them. If Daniel or Teal'c were in charge, then he would be there, but every so often, something would come up and he would not make it to her place.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears._

Oh, how bitter and angry and betrayed were the tears she shed when they came back. She spent three months, barely sleeping or eating, frantically rewriting the laws of physics to get him back; and when they at last reached Edora, he simply brushed past her without a glance or a word and hugged Laira, asking her to come back with him. They came home alone, but he never mentioned what happened during all this time, he did not even express his relief or gratitude.

(_Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by._

And now, quite a few years have gone by, they had their moments but nothing really changed even if the whole team, old and new members alike, knew that their relationship was stilted. They were still friends, but no more felt like family, although they would still be friendly towards one another.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes._

She knew he still cared for her, but she was not sure if he still did "more than he was supposed to".

_(Turn Around, bright eyes) Every now and then I fall apart._

When she remembered the times she saw him with Anise-Freya, or Kerri Johnson, she still felt a slight twinge in her heart, although she would refuse to admit it even to herself.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild._

When it was the case, she feverishly donned her leathers and took her Indian out for a spin. She still did, after all these years, whenever she was States-side, which did not happen often enough.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms._

"If only," she thought. Oh, if only she could have sought the refuge of his arms the day so many of the men under her command died during the attack just before the launch of the _Destiny_ project from the Icarus moon base, even for an oh-so-brief comfort hug, like the one they shared when Janet died, or like when he put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her the day her Dad passed away.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry._

On that day, when she retired in her quarters after handing in the reins to her 2IC aboard the ship, she could not get out, so she sought the gym and spent several hours running laps and beating the crap out of a punching bag, wishing Teal'c were here to spar with her, instead of light-years away on Dakara with Bra'tac and the Free Jaffa Rebellion members. It was not fair that so many good men died that day, without her being able to do anything whatsoever about it.

She shook her head and paid more attention to the song playing, a wry smile ghosting her lips as she realised she could relate to the song, at least partly.

_(Turn around, bright eyes) Every now and then I fall apart,_

_And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever,_

_And if you'd only hold me tight, We'd be holding on forever_

_And we'd only be making it right, 'Cause we'd never be wrong_

_Together we could take it to the end of the line_

_Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time_

_(All of the time)_

She had never been able to really connect with any man on a profound level, ever since she met him on that first day in the briefing room and challenged him to arm-wrestle, not with Martouf or Narim, and even less with Pete, however much she did want to pretend otherwise.

_Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I'm only falling apart_

_There's nothing I can do a total eclipse of the heart_

_Once upon a time there was light in my life but now there's only love in the dark_

_Nothing I can say a total eclipse of the heart_

She had at first only admired and respected him, for the talented and brilliant CO he was. She did not exactly know when she started to love him; she only realised she did on that fateful day when they were stuck on each side of that force field aboard the Goa'uld vessel, during that awful Atanik armbands experiment.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be_

She would always remember the haunted, hurt and guilty look in his eyes when he mentioned the death of his son to try and convince the alien scientist Malachi to stop the time loop from occurring again.

_(Turn around) But every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am_

She would always be grateful for him supporting her that day when he met her father for the first time, before Jacob Carter announced he had cancer and made it known he was disappointed in her for refusing his help to get into NASA.

_(Turn around) Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you,_

_(Turn around) Every now and then I know there's nothing any better there's nothing that I just wouldn't do._

That's for sure, she had never met anyone like him in all her years of life, not even in other galaxies, someone who could make her heart pound in her chest and bring a twinkle to her eyes. There's nothing she wouldn't do to see him again in the flesh, not through a communication device, and far away from a professional environment so that they could reconnect, away from prying eyes and ears that could damage both their careers. They were still technically in the same chain of command, even if she was very rarely reporting to him in person as the IOA supervised most of her operations.

_I don't know what to do and I'm always in the dark,_

_We were living in a powder keg and giving off sparks._

_I really need you tonight, Forever's gonna start tonight. (Forever's gonna start tonight)._

_Once upon a time I was falling in love but now I'm only falling apart,_

_There's nothing I can do a total eclipse of the heart._

She sighed and put her now empty glass of wine on the coffee table, wondering why she was so moody that night, as the last few measures of the song faded away. She turned off the radio and the lights, starting for her bedroom, when the doorbell rang sharply, twice.

She checked the time and wondered who it could be, as it was just past 0200 hours here in Colorado Springs. She was too tired to bother looking through the peephole and simply called out to her night visitor that they come back at a decent hour, whoever they were, as she really, really wanted to get a good night's (and day's) rest.

"Come on Carter, are you gonna make me wait in the cold or what? It's not every day that I come directly from DC to your neck of the woods. Granted, I got a ride aboard the _Daedalus_, but still..."

She did a double take, and hurried to open the door.

"Sir? What are you doing here?" she managed, bewildered he would be here, as they had spoken not three hours ago through a communication device at the end of her shift and he said nothing about coming to the Springs later on.

She let him in, babbling incomprehensibly about jet lag (not applicable, as he was beamed over), Daniel (not applicable either, as he was on Atlantis – which was landed in San Francisco, but still - with Vala and Mitchell to give Sheppard a hand with the city management and recruitment for a while) and mission reports she was sure she already emailed, unless she forgot in her exhaustion, in which case she would just need a minute to hand them in to him, and would he want coffee in the meantime, she did not have anything cooked but she could maybe scrounge up something for a sandwich or two if he was hungry, Sir.

"Jack."

"What?"

"Call me Jack, Carter, I'm not here on official business. And no thanks, I got your reports, already ate and had more than enough caffeine for the day."

"Alright Si-Jack. Not that I am not happy to talk to you but... is everything OK? We spoke a few hours ago and everything was fine. And call me Sam, since it's not "official business" please?"

Jack O'Neill sat down, motioning to her to do the same, and looked at her in the eyes. She saw weariness in there, but also something that she had not seen in him for a very long time: pride, happiness and, most important of all, peace.

"I had a talk with the Joint Chiefs today, and quite a few decisions resulted from that meeting. First of all, congratulations, Brigadier General Samantha Carter. You are to report to Cheyenne Mountain on Monday morning after the end of your leave, where you will take over from Landry, who has been promoted to Head of Stargate Operations in DC, after your promotion ceremony. I already gave all the details to Walter and contacted Vala, Mitchell, Sheppard, Danny Boy and T, they should all be here on time. I'll be there too! Oh, and Mitchell's being promoted as well, that'll be your first order of business, and a surprise. Don't forget your dress blues, huh. Just like old times!"

She was stunned, really not expecting this promotion at all, already more than satisfied with being a full-bird Colonel and commanding her own ship. She was however happy for Mitchell, he deserved it, after all his hard work with the Ori, the Wraiths and all the other bad guys, aliens or not. She realised it would mean she'd get to work with all these fabulous people again. She missed them sometimes, even though she was never alone and had a good working relationship with her crew.

"That's... that's great! I... I don't know what to say!"

It would be great to see everyone again, they had not been all together ever since before she departed for Atlantis, quite a few years ago. Then the meaning of Landry's departure suddenly dawned on her.

"Wait... what about you, S-Jack? If Landry is taking your place, then what will you do?"

He scooted closer to her, put his hand on top of hers and smiled.

"That's another of the decisions that were made today. As of this morning 0100 hours, I am now Lieutenant General Jack O'Neill, USAF... retired! It was high time, I was starting to become another chubby, desk-flying general as many are in that dreaded Pentagon. And anyways, I missed fishing with my favourite fishing partner... you, Sam."

"Oh no, you're not chubby at all Sir! You still look as good as you did when you were still at the head of the SGC, when all of us ladies in the locker room admired you from afar!" she blurted. And blushed crimson, when she realised she just hit on her CO... wait, retired? He was not her CO anymore! What did that mean? Why was he here? He could simply have told her via phone, or at their earlier meeting, why did he come all the way here to announce her the news of his retirement? Wait again, did he just call her Sam? Was he now running his thumb over the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist, giving her goosebumps?

He looked at her, chuckled as her eyes widened, and put a hand on her lips as she opened her mouth.

"Ssshhh Sam, let me finish. I know we have lost the camaraderie we used to share, but I am decided to work hard for us to find it again. I am coming back to the Springs for now, I have to babysit Cassie's dog anyway while she interns with Carolyn Lam at the SGC. I will wait for as long as it takes, but I am not giving up on us... if you can stop calling me Sir!"

She smiled, one of her mega-watt Carter smiles, and leaned into his touch.

"There is nothing I'd like better," she admitted, echoing the song she was listening to earlier. She bit her lip, looking at him, wondering if he'd get her message.

He did not hesitate long. He slowly grinned, stroked the soft skin of her cheek and whispered, "Welcome home, Sam." He leaned in and enfolded her in a tight embrace, making her relish the thought of the numerous days to come, when they'd be together.

It would not always be easy, but, somehow, she knew they'd make it because...

_Forever's gonna start tonight. (Forever's gonna start tonight)._

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><p><strong>AN:** Hope you liked it. Please review :)


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